Clearview National March 2015 - Issue 160 | Page 62

ALUMINIUM

Could
prefab
homes be
the future?
Fashionable in the
aftermath of the Second
World War, prefabricated
properties could be set
to make a comeback in
an attempt to tackle the
UK’s severe shortage
of affordable housing.
»»Speaking at an ALFED breakfast
meeting in Westminster, Professor Michael
Stacey of the University of Nottingham
claimed that aluminium is becoming the first
choice material in a wide range of sectors. The
meeting was attended by a group of senior
parliamentarians and business leaders.
Likening the lack of affordable housing
in Britain today to the housing crisis that
followed World War Two, Professor Stacey
suggested that the use of aluminium could
again hold the key.
He said: “The aluminium industry’s
response back in 1944 was the aluminium
prefabricated home, of which more than
50,000 were produced. Some of these homes
have lasted more than 60 years, indeed there
is a group of 30 still occupied in Redditch, in
the centre of England.
“I therefore would like to propose the
following initiative, the Affordable Aluminium
House, an initiative embracing education,
skills and training, while producing affordable
and liveable homes to house the next
generation.”
Will Savage, CEO of ALFED, said: “The
supply of affordable housing is currently one
of the UK’s biggest challenges, as the amount
of available properties continues to fall well
below demand. This is an opportunity for the
aluminium sector to make a big difference
and, by using modern design and the latest

62 » M AR 2015 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

A 1940s AIROH (Aluminium Industries Research Organisation on Housing) house

technologies available to the window and door
industry; it is more than possible to create
very quickly a large number of affordable yet
desirable properties, with all the look and style
of a brick construction.”
Mr Savage added: “Aluminium’s qualities
of lightness, durability and low maintenance
make it the ideal material for the next
generation of prefabricated houses. And at the
end of the building’s life, the aluminium from
which it is constructed can be totally recycled
with no deterioration in its properties, using
just 5% of the power originally required to
make it.
“Professor Stacey’s research shows that
aluminium performs in buildings for many
decades, so it can have a key role to play in the
homes of the future.”

The breakfast briefing, attended by MPs
and Lords including Lord Boswell and David
Mowat MP, was one of several organised by
ALFED with the aim of raising awareness
among legislators of the importance of the
aluminium industry to the UK economy.

‘Some of these homes
have lasted more than 60
years, indeed there is a
group of 30 still occupied’
It is currently estimated that 35,000 people
work in the UK’s aluminium sector, which has
an annual turnover of £3.2bn.